Panic Attacks - Food Crutches

SusantheChatterbox · Post by **SusantheChatterbox** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 12:12 pm

I am curious if anyone has problems with hyperglycemia/low blood sugar that causes a panic attack when it drops? I am hyperglycemic and have to eat something every 2 to 3 hours. I am noticing more and more that when it gets close to that time to eat or when I just start feeling a hunger pain I literally go right into a panic attack. All I have to do is eat something and I generally always start calming down. The thing is I can still feel full and not hungry at all but if I happen to look at the time and see that its been 2 to 3 hours since I last ate I will instantly feel the panic start. I start feeling that shortness of breath and overwhelming feeling like I need to run and get the food as quickly as possible, and I usually always do. Again, once I eat I start calming down. I am slowly gaining weight and I really hate this. Is there a mental illness that would fit this weirdness? Have I started letting food be my soothing crutch and allowing it to calm my panic attacks regardless of what is causing them? I have tried telling myself I don't need the food yet and that its just the anxiety causing my uncomfortable scary feeling but it doesn't help. Nothing helps but grabbing something to eat. Once I don't feel the hunger pangs anymore I am okay till the next time. Help! Does anyone else experience this that can relate to me? If so please share your thoughts with me. I would really appreciate it. Thank you and God bless.

Susan

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 12:42 pm

I have a friend who needs to have water everytime she thinks or is having a panic attack. She thinks the water calms her down and as soon as she has it, she starts to calm down. Obviously, the water has no magical power but in her mind, it does. It sounds like the same with you, but with food. You have conditioned the mind to associate not eating food at a ceratin time will cause an anxiety attack. So of course, everytime you look at the time and you think you should be eating, even though you're not hungry, it causes anxiety.

I guess I would try not paying attention to the time as much as you can, and then just eat when your body tells you too. It's a mind game, which we all have to deal with when we have anxiety. It's tough. Good luck.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 1:03 pm

Hi Susan:
Low blood sugar causes some very uncomfortable feelings. I know because I am diabetic and no matter how careful I think I am, I will get low sugar once in awhile. Low blood sugar feels a little like a panic attack.
So I'm wondering if maybe you've had that and are afraid of having it happen again. So you've trained yourself to eat every two hours.
When you see your 2 hours are up, maybe you dread those shakes and weakness you get from low sugar. (believe me, when I get that , i really do eat as fast as I can, or drink orange juice or something). Because no one likes that.

So my advice to you is to get a glucose meter.
Check your blood when you think it is time to eat. If your meter registers okay, then you don't have to eat. It should register between 70 and 110.
Now , I will begin shaking at 70 if my blood sugar has fallen rapidly. So I like for mine to register between 80 and 110.

And I know that you know that your snackes should be mostly protein. Like a piece of cheese.

I could be wrong about all this. But this is my thoughts on it right now.
I do hope it helps someway.
I understand what a problem it can be. I take pills for my diabetes so it is hard for me to lose weight. And yet I'm supposed to.
So I understand.
MaryJane

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 1:18 pm

SadChatter, GI is correct. We each develop our habits. I will bet the low blood sugar issue may have been a factor only a couple of times,and you had a panic attack or got very anxioius at that particular time, now it is a thing that your mind believes to be true. I eat small meals abot 5 times a day because I hear from the 'exercise and health people guru's it is best way. We anxious people are always on the lookout for something wrong with us, we live on the edge, our minds and bodies are extremely sensitized, we associate things with anxiety and then we believe it must be true from now on. We need to de-sensitize ourselves of all this negative thinking, and thats what the program is for. Get in the program, read and re-read the workbook because it will do us no good just sitting on the table.
Determine within yourself that you CAN and WILL change because you hate the current way of life of being anxious and panicing!
Apply yourself to the program and use i the tools it teaches you and you will see a New You very soon!

Rod

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 1:37 pm

Hi Gi822.

You just described what I've been doing for many years. I just realized it acouple of months ago and I also realized how much extra food I've been eating.

Ed Winslow · Post by **Ed Winslow** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 1:41 pm

Thank you all for your replies. I do agree with each and everyone of you. I wished I could afford a glucose tester, and hopefully soon I will find a way to buy one. Is there any other way to check blood sugars besides the machine that you stick your finger with? I feel in my heart that I have programmed myself into believing food takes care of the panic attacks regardless if they are started from low sugar or not. Now I just have to reprogram my brain into thinking differently. I am doing the program and will continue to do so. I am going to start lesson 4 either tonight or tomorrow. Thanks site as well as the chatroom has really become a soothing tool for me.

God bless and hugs,
Susan

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 2:06 pm

Hello!I totally went through this!In fact I gained over 20 pounds doing what you've described.I know what you mean about running for the food.In fact I would literally carry food around with me.I was able to overcome this for the most part.I lost the 20 pounds.The answer to you're question,yes anxiety can cause this.Believe me I was so mad at the Dr.'s but they were right.I proved it to myself by letting the food go little by little.You're mind is very powerful.Yes I believe that you're using the food to some extent to relieve the panic.I really do know how you feel.It's an awful controlling thing!Are you feeling weak and shaky or are you feeling panic?There is a difference.If it's panic then start letting the food go slowly.Make sure that you're eating your three healthy meals a day and some sort of a snack like a banana or granola bar.Also eat more protein.It helps keep the hunger under control.PM me if you have anymore questions for me.Take care and God bless!

hopehound · Post by **hopehound** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 2:19 pm

Fear not I usually don't feel shaky or weak more like lightheaded sort of. Infact very rarely do I get that shaky feeling but I don't give myself a chance to get that far with how often I eat. The feeling is more like how you would feel if you suddenly got overwhelmed and freaked out about something. Once that feeling hits I start feeling that familiar shortness of breath feeling. Best way to describe that is like being confined in a very closed in space with no windows or air movement with temps on the very warm side in the space. I hate that feeling and it scares the living heck out of me. How did you over come it? Please let me know. I am working on the program so hoping soon I will see positive improvements with the negative stopping. Thank you so much for your reply.

God bless and hugs,
Susan

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 2:56 pm

Wow, I've been struggling with this lately too. I've always been in pretty good shape, but lately, especially later at night, I turn into an absolute pig. I can't eat enough. It never even occurred to me that this could be an anxiety-avoidance thing. Duh!

Thanks!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 2:18 am

sadchatterbox,Hi!That's how I felt.It was like the same feelings that you've described.It took me awhile to break this habit.I still use food sometimes but I usually don't end up actually eating it most of the time.I just take it with me{like a granola bar}If I'm out there working on my agoraphobia.I used to also think that I had to eat at specific times.Like I had to eat lunch at exactly around eleven and dinner no latter than six or I'd go into a severe panic.It was so awful!I had to slowly change my thinking and start letting go of that bondage.That's what it is.A bondage.You are strong!Push through and don't give up!Food doesn't control you!You've simply have aloud it to.I have found out that anxiety comes in all kinds of ways.We have to work on one bad habit or phobia at a time.Once you break through one habit it makes it easier to conquer the next.It's a process.I've built up a list of them put I don't plain on giving up.Like I said I was able to pull out of what you're feeling right now and believe me at the time I didn't think I'd ever be able to do that but I did.You can too.Now I'm working on my agoraphobia which was severe.I'm overcoming it little by little.I still have to work on my panic attacks and the general anxiety.This seems to be the hardest.It makes sense because it's the core of the phobias.I'm pushing through.There is hope for all of these things that we go through the important thing is don't give up and Know that you're not alone.Yes others are dealing with it too but God is always with you.Trust Him.I promise that He'll never let you down.Take care and God bless!